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By most accounts, console RTS games have yet to hit the sweet spot of controllability enjoyed by PC RTS games, but Tom Clancy's EndWar could be the one to finally crack the code. The major innovation here is in the voice command system that enables you to bark orders into your headset and have your troops execute those commands instantaneously on the battlefield. Of course, the best control scheme in the world doesn't necessarily mean the best gameplay, but EndWar's delicately balanced melange of strategy and tactics succeeds brilliantly.

Eyes On: Russian Army Troops

Ostensibly a rock/paper/scissors real-time strategy game, EndWar pits three warring factions against each other. It's the U.S. versus Europe versus Russia in a battle to decide the fate of the globe, and each faction has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Russia with its heavily industrialized infrastructure and intense national pride fields the hardiest, slowest armies, while Europe makes up for its lack of punch with greater battlefield agility. U.S. forces fall somewhere in the middle, balancing good raw power with decent mobility. The point is that, regardless of which side you choose, EndWar's fighting factions balance against each other nicely and you never have to worry that you've bet on the wrong pony... it's anybody's game.

The voice command system employed by EndWar is amazingly accurate, catching even garbled orders easily and converting them into actionable directives. Speaking your commands verbally brings an urgency to the gameplay that is exceptionally welcome in the real-time strategy genre. You really feel like a commander issuing terse instructions deep within the protective confines of a secure bunker because your units respond to your commands verbally, meaning that you get instant feedback.

The importance of this instant feedback cannot be overstated because, in the heat of a particularly vicious firefight, your units may remember things that you've forgotten. You might absent-mindedly send your tanks to take out enemy gunship helicopters (a bad match according to the rock/paper/scissors chain), but your tank units will immediately notice your misstep and respond accordingly with a, "I don't like it, but whatever you say."

In this way, EndWar's gameplay falls neatly into a call/response groove that feels remarkably more responsive and efficient than any other control scheme before it. You quickly get used to listening as much as looking, because oftentimes your on-the-ground forces will become aware of situations because they are right in the middle of them and alert you accordingly. Although the voice command is a cool gimmick, it's the detailed and quick audio responses that earn EndWar high marks for innovation.